Garment construction



NOV. 19, 1940. DANN Re. 21,624

GARMENT CONSTRUCTION Original Filed April 2, 1934 '1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR 'rnesi ,Dann

jL-A 50M ATTORN EYS Nov. 19, 1940. E. G. DANN QARMENT CONSTRUCTION anrzQM Original Filed April 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTDR Ern'es f D BYi ATTORNEYS RoianodNov. 19,1940

PATENT OFFICE osimss'r CONSTRUCTION Ernest G. Dann, New York, N.'Y.

Original No. 2,056,713, dated October 6, 1938. Se-

rial No. 718,620, April 2, 1934. Application for reissue January 15,1940, Serial No. 314,000

2 Claims. (cl; z-zzo This invention relates to a garment constructionand more particularly to an undergarment designed for the centralportion of the body.

One of the objects of this invention is to pro- 5 vide a garmentconstruction which will be simple,

practical and thoroughly durable. Another object is to provide aconstruction of the above character which may be manufactured with aminimum amount of inexpensive materials and m a considerable saving intime and labor. Another object is to provide a construction of the abovecharacter which, while being attractive in appearance, is extremelycomfortable in use. Another object is to provide a construction of the 1above character which will remain in position about the crotch portionof the body without appreciable relative movement with respect thereto,regardless of the position which the body assumes. Another object is toprovide a con- I struction of the above character in which all tendencyto bind about the crotch portion of the body is eliminated. Anotherobject is to provide a construction of the above character in which anypressure on the crotch portion of the body 9 necessary to hold thegarment in position is diverted to points where it may be withstood withease and comfort. Another object is to provide a construction of theabove character which is light in weight and which fits snugly about thebody with no protruding portions. Other objects will be in part obviousand in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements a and arrangements of parts as will beexemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scopeof the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are shown several of the variouspossible embodiments of my invention,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the preferred embodiment of mygarment in position on the body;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the garment shown in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the garment when removed from thebody;

Figure 4 is a front elevational viewfof another embodiment of myinvention in positlonon the body:

Figure 5 is a. rear elevational view of the garment shown in Figure 4 inposition on the body;

55 Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the garment shown in Figure 4in position on the body, and

Figure 7. is a perspective view of the garment shown in Figure 4 whenremoved from the body.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

As conducive to a. clearer understanding of certain features of thisinvention, it might here be pointed out that garments of this generalcharacter are usually characterized by complexity of construction andthe use of an undue amount of material. This not only increases theexpense of manufacture but also adds to the labor necessarily involvedin laundering or the like. Also these garments are usually made in sucha manner that they will only fit one definite size of body and areincapable of adjustment to various sizes. Furthermore, these garments asa rule are not pliable so that they may follow various'movements of thebody without binding or otherwise causing discomfort to the wearer. Aglaring defect noticeably apparent in garments of this general characteris the crotch construction and support therefor which often causes greatdiscomfort by way of binding, chafing, and the application of an undueamount of pressure at sensitive points on the body. One of the objectsof this invention is to provide a garment construction in which theseveral difllculties hereinabove mentioned as well as many others aresuccessfully overcome.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is shown in Figures 1 and2 a belt generally indicated at l0. Preferably belt i0 comprises aninelastic portion Ii extending across the abdominal region of the body,the remaining portion I2 thereof being elastic in character. Secured tothe front and rear sides of belt I0 is a. shield 'member generallyindicated at I3.

Thus front end ll of shield I3 is secured to the lower edge of belt l0and is preferably equal in width to the length of inelastic portion llof belt i0. Shield 13 thence extends downwardly over the abdomen,through the crotch, upwardly over the buttocks (Figure 2), and has itsend l5 secured to the loweredge of portion i2 of belt l0. Accordingly,shield l3 comprises in itsentirety a front portion IS, a. crotch portionl1 and a rear portion I8. Preferably a part Ila of crotch portion i1 iselastic in character so that this part of the garment may be stretchedto one side for toilet purposes.

Preferably the edges 19 and 20 of front portion. i6 taper inwardlytoward the crotch portion, while n eachbuttock.Iha'vediscoveredthatwhenrear inwardly about the crotch portion ismaterially eliminatedwithouttheuseofotherstaylngfaresubstantiallyspacedfrounbeltlandextend the upper extremities of the lss. Accordlaterally extaided position, no matter what posi-' tion thebody may assume.

In order to provide for a maximum amountof" 40 the crotch, and thenceupwardly to substantially corresponding points on the rear portion-ofthe; belt. Also there is indicated a distance C-'-which is the length ofa lineextending line of the belt, down through the center of thei 4|crotch, and up to a corresponding point rearportionoithebelts Thedimensions of shield is. along the lines A and B have for their minimumsthe lengths-"of the corresponding distances on the body. IIow-' so ever,the dimension of shield II in the vicinity of theline C should begreater than the lengthofi the corresponding distance on thebody. Inelect this makes the crotch portion ll of the shield slightly concavewith to the crotch pore;

utionofthebodyasshowninl 'lgurel.

Accordingly. when in normal use on the wearer,

the bottom edge of the belt ll usually lies in a single horizontalplane. Thus tension in upward 7 directions on shield i3 is greaterindirections substantially along the lines A and 8 than it is along lineC. Accordingly. pressure exerted on the crotch portion of the body byshield," isnaturally concentrated at the oppodte sides of the crotch,whereas the center of crotch portion as I! of the shield exerts verylittle if any pres- .sure against the central portion of the crotch. Inorder to have shield I! rest firmly against the body, and avoid relativemovement with respect to the body, it is highlydesirable to have certain70 thereof flt snugly against the body. Ac-

- cordingly shield II rests firmly against the side Qporttonsof thecrotch, exerting any necessary immune-e thereagainst where it may beeasily withstood, while the center line vicinity of crotch Ii -portion nexerts verylittle 1: any pressure aboutinglytheyexertatensionagainsttheopposite'sidesofrearportionlltoholdthispartina'- it might cause discomfort andannoyance. the term side-angular distance" as used hereinafter willdenote substantiallythelength'ofthelinesAandB (Figures 1erthebodyortheshield ",while term center distance" will indicate adishowever, that these distances are not to be lim- 1o lines-A or-B, andthe term .center line direc- 15 tion" indicates a directionsubstantially along the erably secured to a brassiere II at a pointslightly to the'rear ofthe arm pit. "The lower end of so strip II hasattached thereto a button 21 adapted to at within a suitable'buttonholeII in belt ll. Preferably 'buttonhole 'II is located in the vicinity ofthe hip of the wearer, asbest shown in Figures 2 and 3. Another elasticstrip (not shown), simig5 lar in construction and position-to strip 28,is

secured to the'otherside of brassiere it and connected in a like mannerto .the other side of belt ll. Accordingly, these strips serve. as anadditional support for belt I. and help to hold the belt on an evenhorizontal plane during movement of the body. of course it is understoodthat belt ll,'due to exaggerated movements of the body, cannot remain.on such a' horizontal plane at alitimes.Thesestripsalsoexertatencordingly'. I have indicated in Figures. 1 and-2, distancesAandBwhicharethelengthsoflines passing from the oppositesides of the front por tlon of the belt, down along the opposite sidesof.v

sion upon belt I. in side-angular directions. Accordingly, any tensionwhich they exert upon the 1 crotch portion ll of the shield II Lsconcentrated at points on the opposite sides thereof and not at thecentral portion thereof. a

' Referring now to Figure 4, in which there is shown another embodimentof my invention, a

shield generally indicated at ilts about the icrotchportion of the bodyand the parts immediately adjacent thereto. Preferably, although a notshield II is shorter than shield ll (Figures 1 and 2) and the edges SIand II taper inwardly and outwardly as will be clear 1 from Figures 4,band 6. Accordingly, the narrower portion of shield II passes about thecrotch.

portion of the body.

Secured to the opposite sides of the front end 32 of shield II are theopposite ends of a strip upper abdominal region of the'body while theextremity of strip 38 passes about the back and is preferably spacedslightly above the normal waistline. a

In order to hold strips 33 and 34 in this crowd relationship, thus tomake dressing and undress- 5 ing less complicated, I prefer to provide apair of buckleparts 3| and 31 through which each strip passes. Buckleparts 30 and I1 comprise a rectangular body portion (Figure 7) and aportion 31a connecting two of the sides thereof. Accord- 1o ingly, eachstrip is passed underneath the frame of the buckle and over the portionIla so that each buckle holds the strips substantially in the crossedrelationship. Furthermore, buckle parts 36 and 31 may be moved indirections along either [a of the strips thus to increase or decreasethe distance between each buckle and each end of the shield. In thismanner the tension of the strips on the opposite ends of the shield maybe varied as well as the position of the strips about the It will now beseen that the entire supporting tension of the strips 33 and 34 on theshield 29 is in side-angular directions, while there is no direct pullon the shield in a center line direction. Accordingly the pressureresulting from the tension of the strips 33 and 34, which hold shield 29flrmly and comfortably against the'body, is concentrated at the sides ofthe crotch, while the central crotch portion has very little if anypressure exerted thereagainst. Many of the advantages found in thepreferred embodiment of my invention also exist in this embodimentthereof and it has the added advantage of being extremely simple inconstruction and consequently may be economically manufactured. Also, itmay be placed on or removed from the body with extreme ease and washedwith a minimum amount of inconvenience. This embodiment of my inventionis especially well suited for wear underneath a foundation garment suchas a girdle. Due to its compactness and lack of bulk, it may be worn inthis manner'with ease and a great deal of comfort.

Thus I have provided an undergarment characterized by simplicity ofconstruction and yet so designed as to create a maximum amount ofcomfort to the wearer. This garment offers a great deal of freedom ofbodily movement when worn, without the usual inconvenience common togarments of this general character. Accordingly it will be seen that Ihave provided a thoroughly practical and efficient construction in whichthe several objects hereinabove referred to as well as many others aresuccessfully accomplished. It will be understood that I do not intend tolimit this invention to undergarments or the like as many featuresthereof may be adequately embodied in other articles of apparel, as, forexample, shorts, pajamas, or the like. Furthermore, the term shield as.used hereinbefore or hereinafter is to be interpreted in its broadestsense to include any covering body.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and asmany changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is tobe understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

I claim:

1. In garment construction, in combination, a waistband, a front shieldhaving its upper portion connected .to said waistband and adapted toextend down over a substantial portion of the abdomen of the wearer, thelower portion of said shield adjacent the crotch of the wearer beingconvex, and a rear shield member having its upper edge connected to therear side of said waistband and shaped to extend down over a substantialportion of the buttocks of the wearer and connected to the convexportion of said front shield to form a crotch portion concave withrespect to the crotch of the wearer to create a fullness along thecentral portion of the garment whereby the supporting stresses of thegarment run through the shields in directions from the sides of thecrotch portion to points on said waistband in the general vicinity ofthe hips, said directions being spaced inwardly from the sides of saidshields so that binding is eliminated in all portions of the garment.

2. In garment construction, in combination, an elastic waistband whichexerts lateral tension at the top of the garment and is adapted toresist downward pull, a front shield having its upper portion connectedto said waistband and adapted to extend down over a substantial portionof the abdomen of the wearer, the lower portion of said shield adjacentthe crotch of the wearer being convex, and a rear shield .member havingits upper edge connected to the rear side of said waistband and shapedto extend down over a substantial portion of the buttocks of the wearerand connected to the convex portion of said front shield to form acrotch portion concave with respect to the crotch of the wearer tocreate a fullness along the central portion of the garment whereby thesupporting stresses of the garment run through the shields in directionsfrom the sides of .the crotch portion to points on said waistband in thegeneral vicinity of the hips, said directions being spaced inwardly fromthe sides of said shields so that binding is eliminated in all portionsof the garment, and elastic means connecting said shields at the sidesabove the crotch portion and below the hips, said elastic means beingadapted to pass around the thighs of the wearer and exert lateraltension on the shields to make the garment substantially taut fore andaft and maintain the concave shape of the crotch portion in use.

ERNEST G. DANN.

